Violent crime in DC plummets to lowest level in 30 years

According to a presentation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, violent crime overall has dropped 35% over last year, from 5,215 incidents in 2023 to 3,388 so far in 2024. Homicide is down 30%. Sex abuse crime is down 22%. Assault with a dangerous weapon is down 27%. Robbery is down 39%. And burglary is down 8%.

This statistics, which will be finalized after the year is over, have been compiled on the Metropolitan Police website.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves is crediting the reduction to his office working with Metropolitan Police to target known individuals who have historically driven violent crime in the area.

“It’s a relatively few people who are driving violence in our community,” he said in an interview with WTOP. “And what we’ve been doing for the last two years plus is really targeting those individuals — those crews of individuals — that are driving violence.”

Graves credits efforts in the city, such as the Secure DC Omnibus Act, in producing the positive results.

Local leaders point to the act — as well as more officer visibility, technology upgrades, and addressing student truancy — for the reduction in crime.

Graves says much work remains to be done in the area of getting illegal guns off the street.

“We have way more illegal firearms in our community now than we did 15 years ago,” he said. “You have to think of it a lot like a virus. The more viruses in the community, the more people are going to be sick.”